Arizona is home to the Merriam’s wild turkey. Historically, these
mountain dwelling birds were only found in 3 states: Arizona, New Mexico, and
Colorado. Merriam's have been transplanted from these three
states to all parts of the country, but the true place to hunt them
is in their indigenous area. Our Arizona gobblers are wild
and native birds. This is where Merriam's originated, so they are
pure. There is no hybridization in our areas like some
other areas of the country that offer Merriam's turkey hunting.

Characteristics: The bright colors of
the Arizona Merriam's turkey will amaze hunters that are only familiar with
the other turkey subspecies. Merriam's have a
cream-white accent on the outer edge of the tail feathers
and rump, unlike the Eastern, Osceola, and Rio Grande turkeys
(Gould's have pure white). It's light colored tail tips are
an intermediate between the tan Rio's and pure white Gould's. The primary wing feathers are
mostly white with small black accent bars (the opposite is true with
the wing barring on the other 3 sub-species).

Mature Tom
Merriam's Turkeys grow beards averaging 9.5 inches, although we have
taken some over 11 inches. Since the terrain is rough and
rocky, the spurs are typically worn or rounded. They usually
do not exceed 1¼ inches. Three-quarter to one-inch worn spurs
are the norm on mature 2 to 5 year old mountain Merriam's. The
size of our Merriam's wild turkeys are BIG though, averaging over 21lbs.
Typically, the mature Toms we harvest will weigh between 20 pounds to
25 pounds! That's a large turkey considering there are no food
plots, no farm fields or other human feeding. Another interesting
feature, the Merriam's tail fan is larger than the other three U.S.
wild turkey subspecies in the Grand Slam. These are just a few
common features among "true" Merriam's. If you want a real
Merriam's turkey with no hybridization that shows pure traits, come
hunt with us in their native, indigenous mountain habitat of
Arizona.

This is arguably the most beautiful
sub-species of the Turkey Grand Slam and every Grand Slam hunter
should add a "pure" Merriam’s to his collection!

The
turkeys we hunt are primarily in remote areas and live many
miles from human civilization. Unlike Nebraska or other transplant
States, these are truly "wild turkeys." They live in their natural
forested, mountain habitat with no food plots, no farm fields, no
feeders or other human influence. Since Merriam's are mountain
dwelling turkeys, our hunts take place in the Ponderosa Pine forests
at elevations around 7500 to 8500 feet. The hunt area has
breathtaking scenery and great temperatures of around 75 degrees in
the day and 30 degrees at night. Arizona General Season Merriam's turkey tags are
on a lottery draw. Youth-Only season and Archery-Only season turkey tags
are over the counter. We typically hunt unit 1, unit 6a, or
unit 27 for Arizona Merriam's turkey.

These are fully-guided turkey hunts.
Hunters are led into the field daily by an experienced Merriam's
turkey guide in order to provide the highest chances for success.
Our guides are very familiar with the area, terrain, where the birds
hang-out, and more importantly, the techniques needed to effectively
hunt native mountain Merriam's turkeys. Hunters are encouraged
to bring a partner because this is primarily a 2-on-1
Merriam's hunt. We keep camp sizes to a minimum to ensure the
utmost quality of the hunting experience. More often than not,
it would be just you, your partner and the guide in camp.

Since Arizona is such a vast and arid
(dry) environment, these native Merriam's turkeys tend to have a
very large
home range and are more spread-out than other turkeys. These birds
live in the mountains with large canyons. There are no fields or food plots to
set a blind on. Therefore, this can be a challenging and physically demanding hunt.
Hunters should be prepared for much hiking. Daily hikes could be
up to 3 miles from the end of the road, depending upon
where the birds are hanging at the time of the hunt. Primarily, we
walk large ridges and set-up when we strike a gobbler. We also
set-up in known corridor areas and "cold call" against pine trees or
in a blind to see if a weary gobbler will come to investigate.
Calling birds off the roost in the early morning can sometimes be
effective too. Sitting a ground blind at a water
hole in the afternoon can be a productive technique if we are
experiencing a dry Spring season. The guide will typically call for
the hunters, but experienced turkey hunters can join-in with calling,
as well. If you are
looking for a very original turkey hunt in a
challenging remote setting where
you will be hunting native, indigenous mountain birds, than
this is the Merriam's
hunt for you!

Our Arizona turkey hunts are popular
and fill fast. After you draw a tag, please try to book early,
since space is limited.

The outfitter also offers limited draw
Gould's turkey
hunts in Southern Arizona. If you are looking to complete
your Royal Slam without going to Mexico, Southeastern Arizona is just about your
only option for a U.S. Gould's gobbler. Visit the
Gould's page
or contact the outfitter for more details on Arizona Gould's turkey
hunts.

The Arizona General Spring Turkey Season is on a random draw basis.
We will assist those booking a hunt so that you are drawn in our
recommended Merriam's areas. Primarily we hunt unit 1, unit 6a or unit 27,
as well as some other areas within the Coconino or Apache-Sitgreaves
National Forests. Please contact us for
details and instructions before applying.

Bag Limit: The bag limit in Arizona is one bearded turkey per year.

2019 RATES

TURKEY PACKAGE

# DAYS

RATE

Guided Merriam's Turkey Hunt (2-on-1)

up to 3*

1,500.00/person (2on1)

Guided Merriam's Turkey Hunt (1-on-1)

up to 3*

$2,000.00/person (1on1)

Youth Season Merriam's Hunt (1 youth +
1 parent)

up to 3*

$2,000.00 (youth+parent)

Choose a "Hunter to Guide Ratio" of either
1-on-1 or 2-on-1. The 1-on-1
hunt
means one hunter per guide. 2-on-1 means two
hunters per guide. If choosing 2-on-1, it is a
requirement that you bring the other hunter to share the guide with.
If you cannot find a hunting partner, you will have your own personal
guide and get the 1-on-1 rate.

Non-Hunter Fee: Bring a non-hunter or
an observer for a flat fee of $700.00. Non-hunter space is
limited. Based upon Availability.

Youth-Only Season:
Hunters under 18 must have a parent as a non-hunting observer.
The youth-only hunt is at a reduced rate of $2,000.00 Total for
the youth ($1,300) plus the accompanying non-hunting parent ($700).

Merriam's Turkey Hunts Include: Meals
are included,
complimentary camp accommodations are included (primarily remote
tent camps), transportation provided in
field while hunting only, a guide,
trophy prep (skinning/caping/packaging for transport), up to 3 days
of hunting (depart camp about noon on last day of hunting).

* Arrive to camp the day prior to hunting.
Depart camp about noon on the last day of hunting. So, it's
best if flying hunters arrive in Arizona the
evening prior to meeting us (two days before hunting), rent a car
from the airport, get a hotel
room and we will meet the next day about noon in the hunt area about
4 hours from Tucson Airport or 4 hours from Phoenix Airport.
These are the closest major airports. Flying
hunters can follow us to
camp with their rental car. Flights should depart the morning after the hunt. More details on the general info page.

Additional Information

Booking Info: A minimum 50%
non-refundable deposit and some signed paperwork is required to book the
hunt. General Spring Season hunters will book the hunt only after
tags are drawn. The remaining balance is due at least 21
days prior to the hunt. We recommend cancellation insurance
for all of our guests. Visit our
policy page for
more details on booking and cancellations.

Weapons:
It’s the law that only shotguns, crossbows, or bows be used
for turkey.

Shotguns:
We recommend shotguns to be camouflage and chambered for 3" or
3-1/2" in 12 gauge. The best loads we have found are either
Hevi-Shot (Hevi-13) or Winchester Long Beard XR with 2 or 2¼
ounces of #5's. Chokes should be "turkey choke tubes" in order
to produce the tightest and most uniform patterns possible for
your particular gun. A Turkey Choke Tube paired with either Hevi-13 or
Winchester Long Beard XR in
#5's produces excellent long range results, even out to 60 yards!

Shotgun Pattern:
It is recommended that you pattern your shotgun
prior to arrival. Patterning is well worth the time and
money, considering how much is spent on turkey hunting.
Buy a few different boxes of shells to see which loads produce
the most hits or tightest pattern. It is proper hunter ethics to have a very
tight pattern so that you either "put down" that big ol'
Tom or miss his head/neck completely. The wider the
pattern, the higher the risk of only hitting the bird in the
body, thus crippling him. Nobody wants to see a trophy Tom get
away injured, knowing he'll only die later in the woods.

Crossbows and
Bows: Archery turkey hunting is the ultimate challenge, but
the Crossbow Craze is quickly gaining popularity.
It is perfectly legal to use a crossbow for turkey during the
general (shotgun) season, but not during an archery-only season.
The outfitter recommends that bowhunters and crossbow hunters
use a broadhead with a very large metal cutting edge.
Using a 2"+ bladed mechanical broadhead, such as RAGE Turkey
X-treme, is preferred. That way, if the turkey is hit poorly (or
sometimes hit well but he flies across the canyon), there is a
higher chance for recovery. Tip for archery/crossbow turkey
hunters: After your bird is hit with an arrow, sit tight, be
silent, and just let him expire. It's not wise to get up and
chase that bird!

Our Track Record: The outfitter does
not just cycle a multitude of hunters through the camp. But rather,
he keeps camp sizes to a minimum to ensure the utmost quality. More
often than not, it would be just you, your partner and a guide at
the camp. Over the past 20 years, our Merriam's turkey hunters have experienced varied success.
We are proud to say that some seasons have been 100% success.
But unfortunately, some seasons have been lower success.
Bad weather (mainly 30-50mph wind storms), unresponsive or "henned-up" gobblers, the hunter's
physical fitness level, or just "plain missing" were usually the
limiting factors for the unfortunate hunters. Any experienced
turkey hunter knows that these factors are unpredictable and
uncontrollable. Putting all statistics
aside, you can "rest-assured" that your guide will do his best and will work
very hard to ensure that you have an enjoyable hunting experience! Please feel free to
contact our
references and view testimonials.

About the Outfitter: Pat Feldt earned a Bachelor of Science in
Natural Resources with a major in Wildlife Management from the University of Arizona, which
adds to his credibility as a full-time outfitter. Even though
he is a big game guide throughout the year, his true passion is
turkey hunting. He is a 48 year-old turkey hunting fanatic who
has been pursuing wild turkeys his whole lifetime. Pat is very
experienced in all calling methods and you'll see him using most
types of calls while on the hunt. But, he prefers to use the
realistic sounding mouth diaphragms coupled with friction pot
calls.
Pat is also a firm believer in the use of decoys to aid in enticing
a gobbler (if given ample time to set one up). He has taken
dozens of mountain Merriam's gobblers himself and has hunted various
states for all the subspecies in the Grand Slam and has even
completed the
Royal Slam.